This makes no sense. In an interview with the Associated Press earlier this week, John Edwards declined to reveal how much he was paid by the hedge fund Fortress Investments for a one year consulting contract. But Edwards also told the AP that "the amount will be revealed when he releases his financial disclosure forms due May 15."

In Chicago on Wednesday, Edwards brushed off another question about how much he was paid by Fortress, saying that we'd learn about it in a "few weeks" via the "normal" disclosure process.

This is one of those situations where the candidate's handling of an issue becomes the issue itself. Even if the amount of the contract is insanely high - which I'm sure it is - if Edwards is going to disclose the number in the next couple of weeks, what justification does he have for making the public wait to get that information?

From a strategic standpoint, Edwards is just kicking the bad publicity can down the road a bit. In the meantime, he's leaving the impression that he's not particularly interested in being upfront with either the press or the public. That's a mistake.